Yume
by Kassandra21
Summary: What if the world was different? What if we were normal? What would 17 year old Yuuki do? A long one-shot based on chapter 88 of the manga... ZeroXYuuki


**A/N: Ok , this is my first Vampire Knight story ever… I wrote it as a tribute to the manga which has become one of my favorites… This long one-shot is inspired by Chapter 88 of the manga… For those who haven't read it, it's the chapter where Yuuki is wondering what it would have been like if Zero and her where not a hunter and a pureblood vampire, ergo natural enemies… She wonders how they would have interacted if they were just two normal teenagers… One of the best chapters in the whole manga along with the previous one with the masquerade ball… You should know that I am a huge fan of ZeroXYuuki and I do not care about Kaname as Yuuki's partner at all… Anyway, this is a very emotional story for me, I really had the need to write it so I did. Enjoy reading it and please review. Thank you ^_^**

**Yume**

"Yuuki… Yuuki" a sweet voice woke me from my deep slumber. I took the sheet off my face and the sun blinded me… I covered my eyes with my hands…

"What is it Yori-chan?" it was my best friend.

"Wake up Yuuki, we'll be late for class… And you know how Yagari-sensei gets when we're late.." she said sweetly and uncovered me.

"Yes I know, we'll end up with a pile of essays for the weekend…" I said as I was getting out of bed. Yagari-sensei was pretty strict about time…

I got up sluggishly and went to the bathroom. After I washed myself I started wearing my uniform… Then I heard Yori's voice again.

"Yuuki, I hope you haven't forgotten, we have the preparation for the dance tonight, right after school.."

"Yes I remember Yori, the class president won't let me forget I'm the reason we're responsible for the set-up and decoration, because of my low grades at the final tests…" I said pouting.

When I got out of the bathroom I saw Yori looking out the window…

"What is it Yori-chan? Anything interesting?" I said as I approached her with curiosity.

"No it's just… Zero-kun." She said almost mesmerized… "He's sitting all alone leaning against that tree again… He does that every day…"

_Zero-kun_… "Yes, I've noticed" I said trying to act indifferent…

"Hey Yuuki" she suddenly turned to me "You know him better.. He often comes to the chairman's for dinner.. What's he like? He looks so very lonely…"

I was surprised.. "Uhmmm, I don't really know him" I said trying to conceal the slight blush that was appearing on my cheeks.

"He only comes for dinner sometimes, because his parents are close friends with father…" I said trying to maintain the same tone of voice.

The truth was, I knew almost nothing of him. He was really distant and mysterious. He barely talked during dinner, unless the Chairman forced him to… Something he tended to do a lot…

"I think he's pretty cool…" Yori said… I was still thinking about the dinners at my house… He had come so many times, but we never had the time to get really acquainted... _Cool_…

I looked at him over the window. He was leaning against the tree with his silver hair falling on his forehead… The sun made it sparkle very bright on the one sight of his face, while the other part was covered in darkness…

He was very tall and impressive, the girls went nuts over him when he first came at the academy, but he was cold and kind of rude sometimes, even scary. Well, it's probably the reason why they had stopped hitting on him… Most of them…

Yes… I guess he does look pretty cool… And lonely… Makes me want to…

I shook my head and averted my eyes from the window.

"He's ok I guess." I said walking to the door. I was trying to hide the emotional turbulence my thought had caused me. "He always helps me clean up and wash the dishes after dinner…"

"But he's really not getting along with your brother is he now?" Yori continued the conversation as we were descending the stairs… I had started feeling uncomfortable for some reason… But I didn't want to make Yori feel bad so I went along with it.

"Yes… Kaname onii-sama and Zero-kun are always on the verge of a quarrel… But they have never really argued intensely or anything… After all, brother rarely comes at the Chairman's for dinner…" I said feeling a little sad..

"I guess he's mad at me for deciding to stay with the Chairman instead of the dorms with him…"

"Well, anyway… Do you think Zero-kun will have a date for the dance?" Yori asked suddenly changing the subject. I felt a pinch in my heart… What was this sudden interest in Zero-kun? Could she be actually interested in him in another way? Could she…? I blushed a little at that thought, but at the same time I felt an intense pressure in my stomach… Why was I so annoyed that Yori was interested in Zero-kun?

"I don't know" I said abruptly… "I don't even think he can dance…". And I started wondering… Could he dance? And did he actually have someone to dance with? What would it feel to have his arms around your waist and his eyes fixed on you while you dance? This time I seriously blushed… I shook my head again… /_What are you thinking Yuuki_?/ I scolded myself…

…..

We stepped out of the door and he was still standing there, by the tree, looking so distant and lonely…

"Good morning Kiryu-sempai" I said to him with a huge smile on my face. Where did that come from? It was just an idea that crossed my mind and I didn't even think twice… Typical Yuuki…

His face looked surprised but his reaction was, as always, stone cold calm…

"Good morning Kuran-san, Wakaba-san" he replied lifting his head and looking straight at me with those icy purple eyes of his… Kuran-san… Ice cold…

"Don't you have class Kiryu-kun?" Yori interfered playfully… I was starting to get convinced now, that she was actually interested in him, and for some reason I did not like it at all…

Zero-kun was one year older than us, so we were not in the same class… Also he was a level on his own… Top student, top athlete, really popular among girls despite his behavior, probably due to the fact that he was heavenly handsome… Even Icould not deny that… Maybe that's why Kaname saw him as arrival.. Because he possessed all those virtues too. And Zero-kun was the only one who could compete… I blushed a little as I realized that his eyes were still looking at me.

"Yes I do…" he said getting up from his comfortable position against the tree. Did I mention he was tall and had the stature of a creature that was more than human..? Those thoughts had crossed my mind many times, but this was the first time I actually observed him…

My heart beat a little faster as he approached us… "Walk with us to class!" I said all enthusiastic again. It was common for me to become like that when I felt awkward…

"Sure.." he said and started walking beside me… I walked straight looking at the ground. For some reason I still felt uneasy…

"So, Kiryu-kun, are you taking someone to the dance tonight?" Yori asked out of nowhere.

Yori! Where on earth did that come from? I wanted to get in a hole in the ground and disappear… I clenched my fists at the thought that he might actually be taking someone… Weird behavior… Mine…

"I don't dance." he said plainly, "So no". My heart started pounding even faster although I felt kind of relieved…

"Well that's a shame" Yori said unexpectedly again. Oh Yori! I was almost mad at her for being so straightforward… But then I thought, look who's talking…

Suddenly, I felt a hand grabbing mine and pulling me aside. Kiryu immediately turned and moved towards me, but the he stopped…

"Hello, Kiryu-kun…" it was Kaname's voice… "Pretty unusual for you to be walking around with the younger girls… Usually you just scare them away…" his tone of voice was very taunting…

"I hope you don't have any weird intentions about my sister… She's way out of your league" he continued… What on earth was he saying… Zero-kun… For me… I looked at Kiryu, his eyes were now actually angry… This would not end well, so as usual, I interfered…

"Brother! Stop it… I invited Kiryu-sempai to walk with us to class… Stop being rude please" and I looked at him with my cute-angry face.. That look always worked on my big brother… And it did not fail this time either… He stood down.

"You're right Yuuki." He said and bowed. I'm not sure if it was honest or just hypocrisy, but it would do… "Forgive me Kiryu-kun. I'll return to the dorms.." he softly said and turned away.

Kaname was a student of the afternoon classes. The school actually rotated because of the increased number of students that had joined the academy the past two years.. The Chairman had done an excellent job reconstructing it and it had become famous all over the country…

"Oh, Yuuki, I forgot" he said without turning to us again… "When you're done with your classes, come by to see me.. I have something for you"

"But brother, I have to set up the decoration for the dance" I protested.

"It's ok, I won't delay you from your work. It will be just for a little while" he said as he was leaving… "Ok, onii-sama…" I answered almost whispering. We continued walking to the door. I could tell that Zero-kun was really upset, somehow, by the way breathed… But why did I notice such things about him?.. I was really acting strange today…

As we reached the entrance of the class I turned to him

"Kiryu-sempai…" I said reluctantly, looking at him… "Thank you… for not picking a fight with Kaname…"

He turned and looked at me with his stone cold eyes once again… This time they were darker and kind of frustrated… I didn't get to see him like that very often… Usually he was expressionless. This gaze of his was captivating…

"He can be a real jerk your brother." He said. "Next time I won't tolerate his arrogance".

He turned away and headed to his class…

…

He was right… Oh that Kaname.. Ever since we had been reunited two years ago, he was always so distant… But I knew he loved me… We might have been apart for eight years after the death of our parents, but now we were together again…

I couldn't pay attention in class at all that day. I almost got detention for spacing out twice, but Yori saved my ass…

The truth was that for some reason, my mind was dominated by random thoughts of all kinds… Thoughts about that morning, about Kaname and why we had to be given to different foster families.. And most bizarrely, random thoughts about Kiryu-kun… For some inexplicable reason, half the times I spaced out were because something about him came to mind… Not particular events… Just bits and pieces… When I first met him… When we were both very little…

It was only a few weeks after mom and dad's death… Him, his twin brother Ichiru and their parents had come to pay a visit to the Chairman… I had been sitting alone all night, still almost in a shock… I don't remember much, but I do remember him putting his hand on my head and stroking me when I had started crying at some point… I don't remember the reason… But I cried a lot at that time…

Then I remembered the times he had helped me clean the kitchen, when not too rarely I would break something and he would clean up after me… "You're such a klutz, Kuran-san…" he would always say … And I felt so embarrassed… However this thought caused me to smile today…

The last bell rang and I snapped out of those thoughts… I had to go to Kaname's room before I got to the ballroom for the preparation of the dance… The Chairman, no father, had put me in charge of organizing and security… Why he trusted me so much with responsibilities when I was so clumsy, was beyond me…

I had grown accustomed to calling him father now as it was his wish… At first it was really difficult to call another man daddy, but after a few years, I was convinced by his not so subtle requests… He would even fake cry to make me call him daddy.. That crazy man… I was really blessed to grow up with him…

At first I was devastated by the separation from Kaname.. I could not believe that our parents had decided that we should grow up in different families… How could they be so cruel… When I was about 12 years old, the chairman had sat me down and explained their intentions… After the 10th attempt to run away and go to where Kaname was…

Kaname was to be raised and educated as the next heir to the Kaname empire, while my mother wanted a different fate for me… She wanted me to be raised to a warm environment and grow up as a simple carefree girl… Maybe that's why Kaname had agreed without putting up any fights… For my sake…

He grew up in the Aidou family, with his best friend which must have been a consolation. He even lived in a different country.. We only saw each other on holidays and anniversaries, but there was always a warm relationship between us, despite the distance that had grown little by little the past few years..

When this academy became the top educational institute in the country, the Aidous came back and Kaname was immediately transferred here… Now we could be together again… I am pretty sure in my heart, that the reason father had worked so hard to improve the Cross Academy might have been to reunite us…

As I was sunk deep in my thoughts I didn't notice that I was already in front of the Moon dorm and I almost banged on the door. Luckily, Aidou-sempai had noticed me and opened the door before I became one with it.

"Hello Yuki-chan" he greeted me with a huge smile on his face. "Kaname informed that you would be coming. He's waiting for you upstairs…" and he showed me the ladder.

I looked around. This dorm was much more homie than ours… Kaname had done a good job as dorm president.

I reached his room and knocked on the door. "Come in" he said softly. When he saw me his eyes sparkled and a huge smile covered his face… It was really nice to see him like this…

"I'm really glad you came little sister…" he said giving me a warm hug…

"I thought you might want to punish me by not coming, after this morning's incident" he said sounding almost apologetic…

"Well, I don't understand why Kiryu-sempai and yourself are always like that…" I said

"In my opinion you could be really good friends if you just interacted a little bit more normally.. After all, you are kind of similar…"

"Well, Yuuki, some people are just not a good match…" he seemed a little annoyed by my last comment.

"Now, off with Kiryu and on to the reason I asked you to come.." he said with his expression changing completely… He went to his desk and came back with a rectangle box, wrapped with a pink ribbon.

"This is for you" he said giving me the package… A present for me? What could it be?

"Come on open it… I want to see if you like it…"he said sounding impatient.

I carefully took off the ribbon and opened the box… My cheeks turned red… Inside the box there was a beautiful white and light pink cocktail dress and a pair of matching pumps…

"Brother! This is so beautiful! For me? Why?" I said enthusiastically and hugged him still holding the dress.

"It's for tonight's ball. I want you to wear it and enjoy the ball. You work so hard for this academy Yuuki. I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. You will definitely be the most beautiful girl there… And maybe you'll save a dance for your big brother" he said and winked at me.

"One dance! I will dance with you all night Kaname!" I said enthusiastically, still taken in by his gesture.

"No you won't. I forbid you. I said I want you to have fun" he said playfully.

"After all, if you monopolize me who will console my fans who are expecting to dance with me tonight?" he said teasing me once again.

"Oh you're right brother… I wouldn't want to deprive them…" I said sticking my tongue out.

"I have to go now brother. I promise you I will wear it tonight" as I said that, I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the chick. Then I stormed out towards my room.

I was so excited… Kaname had gone to such trouble, buying me a dress and all… I was really moved. At first I thought maybe I wouldn't go to the dance at all. After all I might be too exhausted by the preparations. But now I had to go… I had promised Kaname… Well, who was I kidding? I was dying to go…

As I was rushing towards the dorm, I stumbled on a rock… That was the kind of stupid klutz I was… I started falling to the ground with the package on my hands… Oh no, Kaname's precious gift would get all dirty if I fell down… Not that I could do anything about it…

But as I was in my desperate inevitable fall delirium, I felt a strong arm swooshing over me and grabbing my waist, securing me and the package I was holding, from the fall…

I turned around to face my savior and I what I saw was pair of purple eyes hidden behind the curtain of silver hair… It was Zero-kun… I averted my face from his bewitching gaze to avoid him seeing the redness that instantly appeared on my face when he looked at me..

He slowly lifted me up and grabbed my shoulders, as if to keep me from falling again. I felt a shiver down my spine… For some reason, his touch had rendered me speechless.

He lifted my chin with his hand and looked me straight in the eyes…

"Are you ok?" he said softly. What was he doing? My heart was beating like crazy and he kept making things worse… He pulled my hair off my eyes and asked again.

"Are you hurt?"

For some seconds I just looked at him with my big silly eyes, unable to utter one single word.

"Uhmmm… I'm… fine" I finally managed to mutter. He immediately took his hands away from me and looked away.

"Just be careful next time. You're a real klutz Kuran…" he said abruptly… Just Kuran… Although he was really rude, it felt kind of warm… Like we were close enough for him to scold me… There was that blushing again… How could I actually be enjoying being scolded?!

He turned to leave but he stopped on his tracks and turned back to look at me again.

"You're in charge of the morning class dorms right?" he said. I was confused… What did that have to do with anything?

"Uhm… Yes…" I answered.

"You should really keep a close eye on your girls and don't let them slip out after curfew.. Some of those Moon dorm guys can be real jerks… And this time I don't mean your brother…" as he said that he walked away.

I was completely speechless… What was that all about? What could he possibly mean?

"Uhmmm, Kiryu-semp…ai" but he had disappeared in the crowd….

I walked toward my room, still feeling the rush from his touch… What is wrong with me today? It's that Yori… She put ideas in my head… Isn't Zero-kun really cool? Silly Yori… Silly Yuuki…

I entered my room and threw Kaname's present on the bed… I was still a little restless due to the incident with Zero-kun, but I had no time for that now… I had to go and start the preparations for the dance…

But I couldn't help but wonder… What could he mean about the girls?… Did he mean that I am not responsible enough as a dorm president? I looked my face in the mirror and I had an intense pouting expression on my face…. I was getting upset like a little child.. That guy… I'll show him… Although tonight, with the ball and all, curfew hours didn't apply..

I wondered, would Zero-kun actually even show up at the dance..? Will he get to see me in my new dress? Would…

Stop it Yuuki… It's duty time… I rushed to the ballroom

….

"Yuuki-chan! Just a little higher!" the class president yelled from downstairs as if I were in a different room, no a different town… I pulled the ribbon a little higher, stretching as much as I could… What were they thinking making the tiniest person here put up the ribbons?

"Is it ok there?" I gasped trying to maintain my balance.

"Yes it's fine! Come down now" he yelled again. Well I guess he came to his senses and decided to put someone taller up to it…

I climbed down and looked outside… It was already dark. I looked at the clock. Oh dear! It was only a half hour before the dance officially started… Would I even have time to go and change into my new dress?

"Yuuki-chan" it was the class president again… What now?

"I need you to do one more thing… I need you to arrange the snack tables…"he said giving me an evil smile..

"It's a job that will have to be continued for a while until everyone arrives, but it will be your punishment for having the lowest grades in class"

Geez, that guy… It was times like these that I was tempted to use the "Back off, I'm the Chairman's daughter" card… But he was right, I did have the worst score in the exams, so I just lowered my eyes and went on with my work…

…

"Ok, I'm done with the tables class president".

"Well then, I guess you can be excused… After you go get some more glasses from the pantry… Please Yuuki-chaaan"

Oh great… I am a slave… The dance seemed like a distant dream now, although it had only been 15 minutes since it had officially started. I was even a little tired…

As I was making my way to the pantry I noticed a figure leaning against the wall on the hallway…

I went closer… It was…

"Kiryu-sempai!" his shirt and his face were covered in blood… My heart started beating really fast and my stomach was burning… Was he injured? What was all this blood? No…

I run to him. He seemed surprised to see me…

Without even thinking about it I rushed towards him and turned him to face me… I don't know what strength overcame me to be able to move that person who was twice or more my size…

"I'm fine… Let go" he said, trying to prevent me from looking at his face. This is unacceptable… What?..

"You're wounded and you're bleeding!" I yelled. "How can you be fine?"

"It's just a few bruises. It's nothing," he continued looking the other way. I would not let this go. I grabbed his chin although I knew it might hurt him and violently turned his face towards mine.

"Tell me what happened!" I ordered. Now I didn't have to force him to face me. He turned his huge mesmerizing eyes at me and glared … I almost felt faint… Well you asked for it Yuuki…

"I got in a fight ok? That's all there is to it… Now let go.." he sounded upset… I could feel him breathing heavily… Oh my god was he that hurt?

Without second thoughts I grabbed him and dragged him towards the infirmary.

"Hey… wait…" he tried to resist, but it was pretty clear I would not take no for an answer…

I pulled him in the infirmary and sat him down on a chair… I was furious… What did it mean he got in a fight… That was no excuse.!

"You know fighting is wrong right?! It's like lesson 1 in 'don'ts' at school" I told him angrily and in a schoolteacher manner.

I took a cloth and put some alcohol on it. I sat on a chair facing him… I started slowly wiping the blood on his face with the piece of cloth… He wasn't looking at me… That was better I guess, my heart was already beating like crazy, from the moment I had closed the door behind me and had calmed down from my original rush…

We were all alone in that room… Nobody even close… Everyone was at the dance… And him… He was there, all wounded and stained… Waiting obediently for me to take care of him…

"You guys and your fights! Why must this always happen? This is really bad…" I continued my preaching while cleaning his silky soft white skin and his perfect rose lips from all the blood… All the features on his face were perfectly aligned… And perfect in general… He had a godlike beauty… An angelic aura.. Yes, if angels were real, that's what they must have looked like…

"Ouch.." he gapsed. Oh shit! I hurt him. He had a small cut right there next to his lips… His wonderful, soft, so inviting lips… I saw the little cut and immediately felt the need to… touch it… Not with my hands… With my lips…

Oh god! What am I thinking… My blood came up to my cheeks and filled them red… He suddenly turned his gaze to me .

"It's your fault you know…" he scolded me…

"How?" I was surprised to hear that… I tried to cover my face with my hair so that he wouldn't notice me blushing…

"I told you to watch out for your girls… Two of them were at the forest at this time of night like little lambs and they came across a pack of wolves…" he said, in the same scolding tone..

"What.." before I could finish my question he continued.

"It was a bunch of those afternoon students I warned you about… Somehow they managed to smuggle some alcohol into the academy, they got drunk and started hitting on the girls… If I hadn't gotten there in time…"

His words struck me like lightning…I pulled my hand from his face…

"This… This is really bad…" I looked at him again… I was about to cry but I tried to contain myself…

"I was working at the festival preparations and I… I neglected my duties as a dorm president…" I said clenching my fist on my chest…

I turned to my left and opened a drawer…

I took a band-aid from it. I turned to Kiryu's neck and pulled away his stained shirt… There was a cut right above his chest and under his neck… I wiped the blood off and put the band aid on it… I could swear I felt his pulse… It was really fast and kind of irregular… Could it be? Or was I just imagining things?

"You… you could have been severely injured…" I said while not pulling my hand away from his chest, but opening my palm, almost caressing it.

"If that happened… I would…" my heart was about to pop off my chest… I was desperate… If he had gotten hurt…

Suddenly, he gently put his hand over mine and squeezed it a little bit… My face turned blood red..

"Don't worry Yuuki… Really it's nothing…" he said softly… Yuuki…! He said my name… Not Kuran-san, not Yuuki-san… Just plain Yuuki. As if we were really, really close…

"Of course it was six of them… So I got a couple of bruises.. But don't worry.. I am pretty strong… I took good care of them…" he said in a cocky and joking tone of voice… He was trying to make me feel better…

The truth was my heart had stopped completely when he said my name… I indulged in the sweet intoxicating sound of his voice, so close to me…

"I know you're strong Kiryou-sempai… but this is unacceptable… I…"

"Hey.." he interrupted me and took his hand off mine.. He used it to lift my face and used the other one to take gently brush my hair off it…

I could not hide my blushing anymore…

"It's Zero, huh?" he said softly… His eyes were looking straight at mine… Only now they were not cold, they were really warm… And kind… I didn't know he had such kind eyes…I felt almost helpless… My hand that was on his chest fell numb…

Suddenly, he took his hand off my face and turned his gaze elsewhere… I was a little disappointed… I actually enjoyed the agony this closeness caused me…

"Thank you for taking care of me…" he gave me a half-smile… How beautiful his smile was… It lit up the room…

He tried to lift himself from the chair in order to leave but I didn't let him. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down…

"Kir… Zero…" I said reluctantly… My voice was trembling, barely steady but I was determined to say the words I wanted…

He looked at me puzzled. If I didn't know better I'd say a slight redness appeared on his cheeks.

"Let's go to the dance" I said forcing a huge smile on my face… Even I could not believe the words I had just uttered…

He was obviously taken by surprise… He looked at me puzzled…

"I…" was he at a loss for words? Him? My heart went crazy again…

"Come on… Come… Do it for me…" almost unconsciously I turned and looked at him with the pleading puppy-eyes that always got to my brother and the Chairman… How I found the courage to do such a thing was beyond me…

He stared at me for a little while… Then a huge grin appeared on his face and he stroke my hair as he did when I was little…

"You're like a little child Yuuki.." he said almost laughing… He said my name again…

"I thought you would order me to rest immediately… But now you're inviting me to the dance… You're a strange fruit…" he touched my face again..

"Well, you're the one who said it was nothing.." I said in an almost apologetic tone… OH, please… Please come to the dance with me… Say yes… If you don't come there's no point in me going either… I'd rather stay in this infirmary all night… Just with you… That's what my heart said… I just wanted to be around him…

"Ok. Let's go…"he said, surprising me. My heart skipped a beat… I was going to the dance… With Zero… What could happen..?

"Ok!" I jolted from my sit. "But these clothes won't do! You're all blood stained and I'm dirty from work… Let's go to our rooms and change. I'll pick you up from yours in half an hour. How's that?" I said. I couldn't hide my excitement… Although I wanted to, it was impossible..

"Not good…" he said seriously. The smile was wiped off my face at once… But… But he just said yes.. That… I was just about to get mad at him again when suddenly…

"Since when does the girl pick the guy up for a date?" he said. My heart almost flew out of my chest again. I must have blushed so much that you could roast a steak on my face… A… A date…

"I'll pick you up from your room in half an hour…" he said gently, and moved to the door. I stood there, frozen..

"Are you coming?"

"Yes…"

…..

It had been 25 minutes since I had gotten back to my room. The moment I closed the door behind me I fell on the bed and tried to catch my breath… What was this feeling that was both pleasant and frustrating? That intense pressure on my chest and my stomach… That restlessness.. That anticipation..

I had worn my dress really carefully and looked at myself in the mirror a thousand times… I had changed the direction of the rose on my neck ribbon even more… My hair… How was my hair? Where is Yori when I need her?

Yori… I hope she's not upset… I hope she's not really interested in him that way… That thought was really frustrating… What if my best friend and I liked the same guy? What would happen between us if he chose me… If he chose me… I blushed again.. What a conceited little girl I was…

The door knock snapped me out of my thoughts… It was him.. It must be.. Everyone else was at the ball… Every doubt in my mind completely disappeared… As I was approaching the door my heart beat faster and faster… I felt as if something would break inside me…

I took a deep breath and opened the door. Well that was a good move, cause when I faced him… He was seriously breathtaking… He looked gorgeous in the school uniform but this…

He looked almost not real.. He wore a black suit, with no tie and a white shirt, top buttons unbutton as always, so that I could see his perfectly aligned clavicles, framing his wonderful neck with that incredibly sexy tattoo he had… I know I had scolded him when I had first seem him, but now… I couldn't help but want to brush my tongue over that tattoo…

Oh god… What kind of thoughts was I having? But then again, how could I help it? He had obviously had a shower, cause his hair was still a little wet as it fell over his eyes… Those eyes.. Those incredible, hypnotizing eyes… They were like a sweet poison.. The more I looked at them, the more I wanted to make them close in agony… The agony of a kiss.. I wanted to kiss those irresistible pink lips… With that little scar next to them… I wanted those lips touching my skin.. My neck.. My chest… My back…

What on earth was I thinking? I swallowed, more like gulped, my impure thoughts, for the moment…

"You look very pretty…" he said. His voice was so warm and sincere… So much warmer than usually…

"Oh it's the dress Kaname bought for me. And… you look very nice…" it's a good thing I could keep my calm sometimes… What a strange day today was…

"Let's go then" he took my hand and led me to the ballroom. This morning when I was looking at him from a afar seemed so distant… I was still confused… The same person I was even reluctant to acknowledge as 'cool' this very morning, I was now walking into the ballroom with, with my heart beating like crazy for him… You're such a basket case Yuuki…

When we entered the hallway, everybody looked at us, as if we were some weird attraction…

"You two make quite an impressive couple" I heard the Chairman's voice from behind us.

"We… uhmmm.. we're not…" as I said that, I felt Zero's hand gripping mine a little harder… Could it be that he didn't want me to deny that we're a couple?… Sweet agony and curiosity… Mixed inside me, I could not determine which one had the wheel… All I knew was that although it felt like I was on the verge of a heart-attack, I was so happy…

Right at that moment, I spotted Yori… She was dancing with Aidou-sempai… She noticed me and winked at me… All my doubts disappeared at once… Yori didn't like Zero… At least not like that… In way, I felt as if she had given me her blessing… I clenched Zero's hand tightly, I was sure now…

He turned and looked at me with those eyes..

"Why don't we go out in the terrace…? And there you will grant me our first… dance."

I nodded in agreement. How could I ever say no to those eyes…To those lips… My whole existence had completely succumbed to his will. He gently pulled me outside…

The sky was clear and starry and we were all alone in the terrace. The sweet romantic music was playing just for us… He bowed and took my hand.. He gently kissed it right between the linkage of the two middle fingers. I felt a shiver down my spine… It was not the cool evening breeze.. It was his lips touching my skin…

"May I have this dance milady?" he asked in formal but so sweet tone of voice..

"Of course" I answered. Of course you can have this dance… And all those that will follow… You can have anything you want. Just ask for it and I will willingly give it to you… As long as you keep those eyes on me… As long as you're only for me…

When he put his arm around my waist, and our bodies pressed on one another, we were the only two people in that dance… We were the only people in the world…

He started directing me, swaying to the sound of the music… I had let go… I was completely in his hands.. He was a really good dancer. I could dance like that with him forever… In that starry night… In that terrace.. Where there were just me and him… And nothing else.. And no one else… Where reality seemed like a dream… Where earth seemed like heaven…

Suddenly he leaned closer to my ear. I could feel his warm breath on my skin… Could there be anything more intoxicating than that?...

"Yuuki" he whispered…"It's not the clothes… It's not the accessories… You are beautiful… To me, you are the most beautiful creature that has walked this earth…"

I felt electricity passing through my body… My skin shivered from head to toe… Not only by his words, but also by the feeling of his breath on my neck as he spoke..

"Zero…" I uttered…

"Shhhh" he shushed me while his mouth still over my ear… "Let me finish… I have to say this to you.."

I cleared my thoughts of everything else… Just to indulge in his words…

"The reason why I lean on the tree under your room every day, is because I want to see you when you come out of the dorm to go to class...

The reason why I come and help you with the kitchen every time we come for dinner is because I want to spent time with you… I don't want to miss out on any of your clumsy cute moments… Those moments are valuable to me…

The reason why I'm there to catch you when you fall… Is because I am always somewhere near, looking at you…

The reason why I beat up those jerks today, was because they disturbed the peace of your precious academy…

And you are precious to me Yuuki…

Maybe you think I'm just a crazy stalker… An obsessed man…

But I know the truth…

And the truth is… I love you Yuuki… I always have.. Since the first time we met… The time when I stroke your hair so that you wouldn't cry… I never want to see you cry.. These eyes… The kindest eyes in the world… They should only be happy.." he then turned to face me…

How could there be a greater happiness than this? In your arms Zero… So completely yours…

"Zero…" I looked at you, trying to keep my eyes from crying out of overwhelming pleasure… How I'd longed to hear those words from you…

"I feel the same…" I finally said. It took all the power in me to keep this phrase until he finished his poem…

"I've always felt for Zero… I've always wanted you to hold me in your arms… On a starry night like this…Where there is nothing to be afraid of in this world… Where everything is so completely ours… "

He brushed his fingers on my lips and then gently but swiftly, he brought his lips over mine… When our mouths became one, I shut down everything else… There was no feeling, no though in this world that could even remotely compare to the sense of his mouth and mine pressing against each other… Pushing each other, trying to unite, to become one inseparable being.. Our bodies pressed together also… I willingly opened my mouth a little so that his tongue could gently come inside and touch mine… A warmth took over the whole of my body… I never want this kiss to end… I never want this moment to end… I never want this night to end…

As he was kissing me his hand caressed my back… I was so close to his heart I could feel it beating so fast… My heart.. I was no longer sure it was inside my chest… The pleasure of this kiss had almost taken my consciousness away… I had completely succumbed to this kiss.. To his arms… He was holding me so tight… It was a prison I was willing to stay in for eternity…

After a while we slowly pulled away from each other, just a little bit, in order to catch a breath… He looked at me with his incredible eyes and we simultaneously smiled… He looked so genuinely happy… Did I have that perfectly beautiful expression on my face too? I bet I looked just like a goofy kid that had just gotten its first toy…

He pressed the left side of his head against the left side of mine… I pressed back.. The intimacy, was the most fulfilling feeling I had ever felt… The certainty that we were only for each other…

We stayed like that almost until the end of the ball… On that terrace, just the two of us…

…

"So… not even one dance for poor little me? I guess you sold the 'I'll dance with you all night' bond to someone else…" it was Kaname's teasing voice.

I woke from my pleasure-drunken state and saw him standing at the terrace door… I felt kind of embarrassed… I had promised him a dance, but I honestly did not want to leave Zero's arms…

Zero however, slowly pulled away from me… He turned to Kaname. "Of course, your brother is right…" he said softly, although I could tell from his voice that he was also unwilling… But it was probably my imagination… Or he wouldn't have let go that easily…

"I've monopolized her. I'm sorry." He addressed Kaname. "She's all yours now.."

I felt a chill through my body… Was he leaving me? He turned to me, kissed my hand one more time..

"Goodnight princess… I believe this is the last song" he turned and left me with Kaname…

Why? Why did I have this feeling of abandonment… ? There was only one song left and I had promised my brother a dance… His reaction was completely normal…. But what did I want from him? I wanted him to be more unwilling… I wanted him to be selfish… To want me only for himself… Did he not crave for me as much as I did? Was this incredible connection all in my head? Had I just been a pleasant night's companion to him? Crazy thoughts, all in my mind…

"Well, I see you are not very happy that I separated you from Kiryu-kun…" Kaname teased me… I felt so embarrassed… Was I that obvious?

"What are you saying Kaname…Of course I am happy to dance with you…"

"Not as happy as you were with him" he took a cute fake-pouting expression…

"Kaname.." I blushed "We were just dancing…"

"You were doing a lot more than that… But it's ok Yuuki… I know that we don't really get along, but I do know for a fact that he is a decent guy… and I can tell that his heart aches for you… When he brought those guys that were bothering your girls tonight, he asked me not to tell you anything…But you found him… You always find out Yuuki…" he said and gently put my head against his chest…

…..

The next morning I woke up with a strange feeling of anticipation… Not that I had slept much last night… I rolled in bed and watched the stars, thinking about him until I had exhausted myself enough to fall asleep… This morning was worse… Instead of cooling down, my situation was actually terrible.. I was bouncing from a state of complete joy and certainty, thinking of his words, of that sinfully pleasing kiss, to a state of complete despair and doubt… What would happen now? What if that was not to him as important as it was to me? What if his words were a beautiful lie to dress that special night?

I jumped up my bed and looked down the window..

"He's not there…" Yori said… Complete darkness fell on me like a huge rock… I remembered his words.. '_The reason why I lean on the tree under your room every day, is because I want to see you'_. Did he not want to see me anymore? Had my complete surrender to him satisfied his need for me? All those thoughts were driving me crazy… But Yori wasn't done.

"He's at your father's office. The Chairman came by earlier and said I should send you in there too when you woke up…" she winked at me.

"Yori…" I blushed…

"He probably wants to give you his blessings…" she teased me again.

But that was not what was on my mind… I was terrified.. What if father wanted to scold us? What if he didn't approve of what had happened last night? Crazy thoughts again.. I put on my uniform as quickly as I could and rushed to the chairman's office. Please god, I hope that father hasn't started lecturing Zero about me… What an embarrassment…

I swooshed at the door. He was already there… My heart skipped a beat only at the sight of his silver hair falling on his back… I straightened myself up a little and entered the office. I tried to look as cool and indifferent as I could… Yup, that's how I was going to play it… Ice queen… Until I verified his intentions… Well, easier said than done…

"Yuuki, I'm so glad you joined us…" the chairman seemed ecstatic like that every time he saw me..

"Please sit. I was just telling Zero-kun here about your new assignment… Kaname-kun informed me about the incident last night.."

The whole time he was talking, all I cared about was looking at Zero with my side-sight… I was sure he wouldn't notice me like that.. It was the perfect plan..

"Yuuki-chan is there something you want to tell Zero-kun?" he suddenly said… Geez, what subtlety… Me and my perfect plans… I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die… Zero turned and looked at me looking puzzled… Just that… Puzzled… No emotion.. Nothing…

Desperation overwhelmed me… "No! Nothing.." I defended myself…

"Great, that means I can continue. Well, As I told Zero-kun, I want you and him to undertake one more important task… I want you to become the guardians of this academy… My eyes and ears out there…"

I was startled… Of course the thought of spending so much time with his was satisfying, but how could I even think like that… Everything was still blurry…

"What… What does Kiryu-sempai thinks of this…" I asked looking at the floor… Had I overdone it with the formalities? Well that's what came out at that moment of uncertainty… How could I call him my Zero, without even knowing how he feels the morning after?..

"Huh?!" he was obviously surprised… Well, I guess that was a good sign…

"I said yes" he said plainly. Maybe he wasn't as disappointed as I thought… I did tend to think wishfully I guess… What a mess my head was…

"Then… I agree as well.." I said almost whispering…

"Great! Here are your distinctives." The Chairman took two white bands from his drawer and gave us one each… "I know holidays are coming, but many of the students will be staying here, so I guess this is when I need your services the most.. Now off you go" he said doing a shooing gesture with his hand and having that incredibly silly grin on his face…

Zero got on his feet, grabbed my wrist and practically dragged me all the way to the gate. There, he left my hand… We started walking toward the entrance of the afternoon dorms though the little forest garden…

"We have to go guard the exit for the departing students…" he said walking straight in front of me. I kept glimpsing at him… trying to decipher his behavior with that silly side-sight technique that didn't fool anyone… Just as we reached the fountain in the middle of the yard he suddenly stopped and with a swift move he turned to me and grabbed my arm… He looked furious. But even so, he was incredibly cute…

"By the way Yuuki… What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled at me… I was so startled I stayed speechless and frozen at my position…

"What was all that 'Kiryu-sempai' crap?" he continued… His eyes had started softening a little however… Somehow I could tell, he wasn't really angry…

"And why are you looking at me like that? What are you expecting you idiot? Do you want another confession? Wasn't yesterday enough for you?" he said in what now seemed like a complaining tone of voice… I felt all the heat in my body transferring to my cheeks… What an idiot I was…

"I could probably write a book, no an encyclopedia on how I feel about you, but is that really necessary?" his voice had gotten considerably more gentle now… His beautiful liquid, shimmering eyes looked at me with sweet compassion..

I smiled… My heart was at its place… At the right place…

"Zero.." I muttered.

"Now, that's better…" he said smiling… "You stupid girl…" he grabbed me and pulled me toward himself. He pressed my head on his chest and my waist toward his body… I was in heaven once again… And it seemed I had a permanent residence over there…

He pulled my head to face me… He leaned toward me and gave me a passionate kiss that stopped by breath. It was quick, but perfect… He pulled away and grabbed my wrist once more…

"Now come on!" he ordered "We've got work to do!".

…

"Yuuki-sama…"

"Yuuki-sama"

A voice from the far beyond…

"Zero?" I jumped off only to see Aidou-sempai's face… He looked a bit frustrated… I looked around me… I was in my house… They house I had been sharing with Kaname for almost a year now… I had dozed off on the couch…

"Aidou sempai I…" I realized I had said Zero's name out loud…

"It's ok" he said softly… "I didn't hear anything…" he turned his back on me and left the room.

I touched my lips with my hands… I could still taste him…

"It was just a dream after all" I said to myself….

A dream… A dream where everything was normal… Where Zero and I were only two teenagers that liked each other… Not lost friends… Not enemies… Just two human kids… And there were no vampires… And there was no pain… No death… No complications.. A dream where Kaname and I had a normal brother /sister relationship… A dream where our only problems were the bullies and our silly teenage agonies… A dream where Zero and I wouldn't have to wear our masks and play our roles… A dream where I could kiss him.. A dream where everything was perfect…

I clenched my fists on my chest and bit my lips… I would not let the tears fall… No. I would lock away that treasure in the most sacred position in my heart… That precious feeling… And I would put on my mask and I would play my role as the Kuran pureblood princess…

Zero, my precious love, maybe in another world, we could have been together…

….

**A/N: Well yes… Unfortunately as the title says it is only a dream… Because most times in life is so much more complicated than we would have wanted it to be… Thank you for reading…**


End file.
